Did you know that March 5th is Employee Appreciation Day? While this day of recognition is a wonderful idea to show some love to your team, employee appreciation should be a year-round affair.
Think of this day as you would Valentine’s Day. If you only show your partner you care once a year, you will likely find yourself in a hollow relationship unable to withstand the inevitable storms that we face in life. The same is true for the employment relationship. One day of cupcakes or a gift card will not make up for 364 days of under-appreciation and/or disregard for the people helping to power your organization.
For all of the people-first leaders out there, here are some ways to send some extra warm and fuzzies to the team on Employee Appreciation Day:
1) Fun work awards: Many organizations have formal award programs but does your company have an award program that is actually fun and interesting for employees? If you’re a fan of the TV show The Office, then you’ll know how meaningful the Dundies were to the team at Dunder Mifflin. These funny and wacky award categories were both an office tradition and an opportunity for bonding on a deeper level. While the Dundies may serve as the inspiration for this tip, it is still a TV show so keep your award categories respectful. Together with your employees (remember we believe in a co-created employee experience), come up with a handful of fun informal awards. Next, create bizarre-looking trophies (physical or virtual) to honour these not-so-polished moments and see your team light up in new ways. Come up with categories that celebrate the individual uniqueness of your team and share the categories before the big day. Have your team vote on finalists to further make this a shared experience. Embed this annual tradition within your employee experience and have your team come together to celebrate, laugh, and go down in history with their very own fun award.
2) Pay it forward – team style: With this tip, every employee is provided a fixed dollar amount electronic gift card that they can direct to a colleague who helped them the most, supported them the most, or just made the last year more manageable. This encourages a spirit of gratitude amongst your employee population and empowers your team to be thoughtful and aware of the positive impact others have had on them.
3) Pay it forward – social good: Set a fixed dollar amount and add it to your next pay cycle. Next, encouraged the team to make a donation to a registered charity or not-for-profit organization of their choice. Better yet, check out sites like Canada Helps for charity gift cards that make doing good that much easier. Research has shown that we feel better after spending on others versus ourselves. To learn more about this and other ingredients for a thriving workplace culture, check out our book Peace, Love & Meaningful Careers.
4) Theme of the year – SWAG: Create an annual tradition of setting a theme for the year and continue this idea into Employee Appreciation Day with customized SWAG that commemorates the theme. Think back to summer camp and the song of the summer, the sweatshirts, and t-shirts that marked that moment in history forever. Rituals and traditions are an important part of building a strong workplace culture and deepening the ties that your team has with your organization. Pair this idea of an annual theme with an awesome playlist curated by your organization. This further helps to unite your team and can also be a fun tool on the recruitment marketing front.
5) Virtual party with door prizes: While this year has been unlike any other, it has helped bring much-needed progress to the workplace. We are now comfortable and perhaps too familiar with every video conferencing tool out there. Pick your fave and throw a virtual party! Depending on the size of your organization, this could be by department or as a broader organization. Have awesome door prizes to help celebrate the day.
6) Our team rocks (low budget fun idea) – Invite your team to sport their favourite rock or musical artist t-shirt. This is an amazing way to see the person beyond the job title. Get the team together for virtual drinks, add some door prizes, and rock Employee Appreciation Day with fun games like Name That Tune and music trivia. You will catch me proudly sporting a Grateful Dead t-shirt and keeping it real!
7) Time off – Let’s face it, your team, like the rest of the world has had a rough 12 months. Tell your team how much you love them by giving them some time for self-care. This can be done in numerous ways depending on your operational needs. Perhaps it’s a morning or afternoon off where you rotate between half your workforce being off in the morning while the other half is off in the afternoon. Let the team know that your intention for the day is for them to use this time in a way that rejuvenates them, thus recognizing all of their hard work especially over the course of the last year.
8) Gift cards with personality (thanks a latte) – When in doubt there’s the much-loved gift card. While this idea runs the risk of feeling impersonal, you can combat that by adding some personality and linking your gift card to a fun theme.
If nothing else, be sure to take the time to extend a heartfelt thank you to each member of your team. As small as the gesture may seem, it feels great to know we are appreciated.
The logistics:
- Set a budget.
- Start the work early.
- Create a “care crew” made up of employee representatives to ensure you hit the mark. This is an important point for any activity you are working on within the employee lifecycle. My firm belief is that the future of the employee experience (and the here and now for progressive employers) is a co-created one. Having our team by our side as we shape the employee experience, ensures that it is meaningful, collaborative, and united in its approach.
- Spread the love: Shower your team with the recognition they deserve. Now more than ever, our team needs us. Send some extra special love to your “care crew” for their support in shaping an awesome employee experience.
- Rinse and repeat: Every day may not be Employee Appreciation day but every day we should be showing gratitude and recognition to our team for living our values and helping to power our mission
The key to a thriving culture and an exceptional employee experience is intention. Setting a regular practice of gratitude and recognition tells your team they are valued…not one day of the year, but always.
To learn more about a thriving workplace and sparking a cultural metamorphosis, check out our website at www.powerhousetalent.ca (Employer Brand & Employee Experience Strategy Firm).